


A Leap of Faith (Part One)

by RowanCousland1995



Series: RWBY Rarepair Week 2017 [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: AU, Bisexual Emerald Sustrai, Bisexual Yang Xiao Long, Everybody Lives, F/F, Nothing Bad Ever Happens, RWBY Rarepair Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 09:24:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12105663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowanCousland1995/pseuds/RowanCousland1995
Summary: Day 3 of RWBY Rarepair WeekEmerald has reached her breaking point with her team, and decides that it's time to take her fate into her own hands. A decision is made that affects more lives than she ever could have possibly realized.





	A Leap of Faith (Part One)

**Author's Note:**

> I got a liiiittle overly ambitious with today's theme, and I decided that it's going to be a two-part plotline. Part two will conclude this plotpoint, while also contributing to tomorrow's theme "Hurt & Comfort". I hope you all enjoy!

RWBY Rarepair Week  
September 13 - 19

Pairing: Yang Xao Long/Emerald Sustrai: Treasure Dragon.

Day 3 Theme: The "Nothing Bad Ever Happens. Ever." AU.

In all of her years of living, Emerald had done some despicable things. She'd lied, cheated, stolen; pretty much anything one could do as a pretty criminal.

But in the time she had spent with Yang, she learned to look past all that.

That one coffee date had branched out into two. Then four. Then ten. Within the next two months, it was safe to say that Emerald and Yang were an item.

An item that had to be kept secret.

She wouldn't dare let Cinder and Mercury find out. If she did... There was no telling what would happen.

Regardless, Yang had opened her eyes. She showed her just how much Emerald had been missing. Emerald began to realize just how much her cynical view of the world had clouded her from just how wonderful it could be.

But then came the Vytal festival.

Then came Cinder's plan.

And Emerald had finally had enough.

She took in a deep breath, looking over the destruction before her. She watched just as her "partner's" chaos began to unfold.

Beacon was practically torn apart. Grimm were running rampant. Mechs were out of control. People were panicking.

And somewhere, Cinder was more than likely shamelessly committing murder.

So many lives had been lost already. Emerald had done what she could to decrease the casualties.

But even when she tried her hardest, Cinder found a way to make her plan work.

Emerald's hand was forced during Yang's battle with Mercury during the Vytal festival. If she hadn't done something, Cinder would've known. And then, all of Emerald's efforts would've been for nothing.

But she did save one life.

She managed to save Penny's life during the tournament. She was meant to be one of the many casualties in Cinder's plan. She wanted to frame both Atlas and Beacon by having Penny ripped apart by Pyrrha's polarity ability on live television. Emerald took a great risk in sabotaging the plan. But she knew just how much Penny meant to Ruby.

Besides that, Penny was innocent.

So, she used her mirages; just as Cinder had wanted. But she made her own decisions on what images she created.

She managed to create a scenario where Pyrrha appeared to be locked in combat with Penny; their blades dancing off of each other's as they attempted to gain the upper hand against one another.

In reality, the viewers of the tournament watched as Pyrrha swung the blade of her javelin wildly and Penny was able to effortlessly move out of the way.

She managed to land one final strike onto Pyrrha in her delusional state, depleting her of her Aura and declaring Penny the victor.

It had been a tasking illusion. One that left her with a migraine, and on the brink of a nose bleed.

At least one life was saved.

But it was already too late.

Though Cinder didn't get the show she had wanted, the Grimm still attacked. Her virus still infected Atlas' army of machines.

Even without the catalyst, the world was on the brink of destruction.

Emerald took this opportunity to flee the stadium. At any moment, the White Fang would begin their assault. She had to find a way to help. She had to stop Cinder before the next phase of her planned carried out.

It was time for her to do things her way.

The first thing she had to do was find Yang.

They had her on house arrest after the incident with Mercury. With luck, she would've seen the chaos and started running.

As Emerald made her way back towards the school, two things happened.

First, the mechs that had turned on those they were programed to protect suddenly began to collapse. They were shutting down, becoming nothing but piles of expensive scrap.

Someone had stopped the virus.

The second thing that happened only brought a sense of dread to Emerald.

The ground began to shake. It was as it the earth beneath her feet had suddenly roared in protest as something awoke.

The dragon.

Cinder had mentioned it briefly. But Emerald knew there would be no stopping the dragon.

Not unless she managed to take down Cinder herself.

She made her way to the courtyard, finding Weiss chipping away at Paladins with the remaining students from the tournament. They were all holding their own, showing intense displays of power.

More importantly, she saw Yang rushing to Weiss's side.

"Weiss!" She called as the Paladins suddenly collapsed. Weiss had been doubled over, catching her breath.

"Weiss, where's Ruby? Have you seen her?" Yang asked as she skidded to a stop beside her teammate.

Weiss solemnly shook her head, and Yang had to resist punching a wall in frustration.

"What about Blake?" She asked, hoping for some good news.

"She went off towards the cafeteria after an Alpha and some members of the White Fang." Weiss explained.

The White Fang... No!

Emerald was already too late to stop Adam from coming. But it wasn't too late to stop the damage he would no doubt cause.

"You go look for Ruby. I'll go after Blake." Yang concluded.

"Yang!" Emerald called out to her, rushing to her side the moment she found the opportunity.

Yang's eyes widened in surprise, but a look of relief crossed her face.

"Em... You're ok..." She breathed.

Before she could say anything else, Emerald was pulled into a tight, warm embrace of a hug.

Emerald was almost in tears with the comfort she felt. This was it. This was how she knew she was making the right choice.

"Yang... There's something I need to tell you."

Yang pulled away from the embrace before resting her forehead on Emerald's.

"Whatever it is, I'll hear you out." She whispered. "But I've got to go. I'll come back for you."

"No." Emerald said, gripping onto Yang's sleeve. "I'm coming with you. You have no idea what's coming; I can't let you go alone."

Yang looked fully intent on arguing... But she ultimately nodded, letting it go.

The two of them quickly made their way back towards the cafeteria, cutting down any Grimm and knocking back any White Fang members that dared to cross their paths.

And then, they finally made it into the cafeteria.

Blake laid sprawled across the ground with the booted foot of Adam Taurus planted firmly on her chest.

The look on Yang's face rivaled that of any Grimm. The rage was unlike anything Emerald had ever seen in her entire life.

And when Adam raised his blade to strike Blake, he sealed his fate.

"Get away from her!" Yang screamed, flexing her hands and activating her Ember Celica.

Adam turned his head towards her, and Yang leapt into action.

She leapt off of a chunk of ruble, launching herself at Adam and landing a punch to his jaw. Bones cracked under her fist with a sickening crunching noise. Adam stumbled back, freeing Blake from his hold. Just as he'd brought up his sword to fight back, Emerald fired off a round of her own.

The bullet struck him in the abdomen, the force sending him skidding across the floor. His Aura had taken the damage off of him. But the more they could whittle him down, the better.

He coughed, spitting up blood and glaring up at Yang.

But then, his gaze found Emerald.

"Traitor!" He growled, bringing up his gun. Just as he'd fired off a bullet, Yang moved in front of it, deflecting it with her gauntlet.

This took him by surprise, and he wasn't prepared for the hand that latched around his throat in retaliation.

"It's not her you need to worry about." Yang hissed, effortlessly picking him up off of the ground.

Blake shambled to her feet, coughing and clutching at her chest as she tried to recover from the blow's she'd taken from Adam.

The minute those coughs met Yang's ears, she snapped out of her rage-induced haze.

With a flick of her wrist, she sent Adam flying. She smirked with content as he slammed into the rear wall, dropping to the ground shortly afterwards.

Yang practically bolted to Blake's side, checking over her and making sure she was alright.

"Yang, I'm ok." Blake replied, her voice raspy from the damage she'd taken. The bruises around her throat showed that Adam had made things personal. "I'm ok... I just need to get out of here. I want to go home..."

Yang nodded, embracing her partner with a tight hug.

"Get to the courtyard. Weiss and the others will be waiting there. Get out of here."

Blake nodded, pausing just as she saw a stir of movement over Yang's shoulder.

Adam rose to his feet, gripping his gun tightly in his hand.

"She's not going anywhere." He hissed.

It all happened so fast. Blake shoved Yang off to the side, leaving herself wide open for an attack. Emerald had taken a moment to attempt to prepare an illusion, but Blake beat her to the punch.

Adam fired off his last bullet.

He watched in satisfaction as Blake Belladonna fell to her knees, clutching her abdomen before fading away into a cloud of dust.

And then, he heard the sound of a blade extending right beside him.

He spun around just in time to see Blake sinking her blade into his chest.

In his last moments, he saw a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Goodbye, Adam" were the last words whispered to him from her lips. The same words she'd said before leaving the first time.

Emerald couldn't help but feel amazed. Amazed, and proud.

If Blake could come back and take down a man that had caused her so much pain...

They maybe there was hope for Emerald herself.

"I'm proud of you." Yang said, clapping Blake on the shoulder.

Blake smiled, nodding to her friend. "We should meet up with the others."

"You go on ahead." Emerald said. "Yang and I will catch up."

Yang glanced at her mint-haired companion curiously, wondering why she was hesitating on going back.

And then, she remembered.

Emerald saying that she needed to speak with her. Adam calling Emerald a traitor.

Suddenly, everything clicked in Yang's mind.

Emerald knew what was going on because she had been a part of it herself.

As much as Yang wanted to be angry, she couldn't. Even now, knowing that the woman standing before her was responsible for her house arrest, for her reputation being ruined; she couldn't be angry.

She could see the regret practically pouring from Emerald's features. Regret, guilt.... And even the desire to do better. The desire to make things right.

She could've run away. She could've run off with her team and continued to fuel the chaos.

But she didn't. Emerald had stayed and fought. She fought beside her an her friends, as if that was where she was supposed to be in the first place.

"Yang..." Emerald started, feeling her throat close over in fear. "There's so much I need to tell you." She admitted. "I... I've made so many mistakes Yang. There is more blood on my hand than I could ever begin to describe... I had a hand in everything that happened tonight. I didn't want to; not really. For a while, it seemed like the right thing. But I realized that I was wrong. Cinder is wrong. There's still hope for all of us.... But I understand if you never want to see me again. I understand if you want me to go. I-."

Her words were cut short.

Soft, warm lips came crashing down on hers. Lips that gave a kiss of pure love... But also desperation. She felt a sense of urgency behind the kiss. As if Yang felt that this would be the last time they would see each other.

Emerald returned the kiss with as much passion as she could muster.

If they died today, at least they died knowing that they loved each other.

"I forgive you, you big dummy." Yang whispered. "Who you were in the past doesn't matter now. You're making things right. That's what really counts."

Emerald almost wanted to burst into tears then and there. She tightened her hold on Yang, not wanting to let her go.

"I love you, Yang."

"I love you too, Emy."

For a moment, nothing else mattered. They had finally found where they belonged.

And then, the sound of an explosion met their ears.

The two turned to see the top of the clock tower suddenly collapse as the dragon Grimm rammed into it. Bursts of flame could be seen spewing from the wreckage.

Phase two had begun. Cinder had absorbed the powers of the Fall Maiden.

And someone was bold enough to fight her.

"We've got to get up there." Emerald said. "That's where Cinder is... That's where we'll stop her."

The thought of confronting her terrified Emerald, even moreso when she realize Yang would be up there with her.

But then Yang took her hand; and for a moment, she forgot why she was afraid in the first place.

"We'll stop her together." Yang told her.

Emerald nodded in agreement.

"Yes. Together."

And she wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
